The Ride
by Sixty Five Roses
Summary: Prompt fic. Andy as an original idea for an activity he and Sharon could do together to de-stress.


**A/N** **:** This fic is based on a prompt that was sent to me on Tumblr by Misa. The prompt was "I'm scared, Andy. At our ages? I need you more than whatever in my life." I changed it a bit to fit my story better, but the idea is still there.

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The smell of popcorn and corn dogs was appetizing and sickening at the same time. It's been a while since Sharon has been to one of these places. She used to take her children when they were younger and when they were old enough, they went on their own until they became too old to go. When Andy told her that they needed to de-stress, that was not what she had in mind at all. She only realized where they were headed when they went out of the car and Andy gleefully motioned towards the entrance to the infamous Pacific Park. She looked at him with confusion, her jaw dropping open.

"Andy, what are we doing here?" she asked.

"Fun. We're here to have fun!" he declared and took her hand.

"Seriously?" she arched her eyebrows.

"Yeah, come on." She couldn't resist Andy's boyish smile. That smile could make her do things she never intended to do, to begin with. She followed him to the booth and Andy bought two entry tickets. They received plastic wristbands and helped each other put them on.

Now as they were standing in line for the West Coaster, the park's signature ride, Sharon couldn't believe he talked her into it. It was only several minutes earlier when he pulled her towards the yellow roller coaster. She pulled her hand back.

"Absolutely not," she exclaimed.

"Why?" Andy asked, a childish expression on his face.

"Because we're too old for this," she replied.

"You're never too old to have fun," Andy said.

"This bumper-sticker talk won't work, Andy," Sharon warned.

"Bumper-sticker talk? Sharon, come on!" he called out.

"Acting like a child won't do the trick either," she added. By the expression on Andy's face, she could tell he was about to object. "Andy, you had a heart attack ten months ago. Going on a rollercoaster isn't good for you."

"That's a rollercoaster for children. Nobody even screams on it," Andy argued. "Admit it, Sharon, you're scared," he teased her.

"You're right. I'm scared, Andy. At our ages? I need you more than this cheap thrill in my life."

"Is it really the reason you don't want to go on the rollercoaster?" Andy asked.

"Of course!"

"Sharon, just look at it. And listen. There are no loops, children go on it and come down smiling, and nobody screams. It's not a wild ride at all and nothing is going to happen to me on it. It will be just fine." She sighed and looked at the rollercoaster for a long moment. It seemed pretty tame, and for some reason, it was really important to Andy to go on it. They've been through much more intense things than a silly children's ride. If Andy was so convinced that he could do this, she wasn't going to emasculate him by treating him like a child and telling him he couldn't. She wasn't a fan of roller coasters, but she decided to go on it with him just to make sure he was okay. Which is how they ended up in that line. A group of people went off the ride, and the next group went on it. Sharon and Andy were going to be in the next group.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked him. He nodded excitedly. Sharon hadn't really expected him to change his mind but checked with him anyway.

When their turn was up, they took their seats on the train and waited for the restraints to descend. Andy took her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against the back of her hand. As the restraints went down and the train started moving, he gave her that infatuated puppy smile of his that always made her melt on the spot.

"I love you," he mouthed the words. Sharon's lips curved up in a smile and although the roller coaster was at full speed, she couldn't feel anything but his eyes on her. A couple minutes later, when the ride ended, they walked out of it hand in hand. Andy thanked her for sharing the experience and assured her that he was fine. Warmth filled her chest as she thought of how sweet it was of him to express his gratitude for her presence and make sure she knew that he was feeling well. She stopped walking, trying to get her emotions under control.

"Sharon?" Andy also stopped. He turned to look at her, unsure what had happened. "You okay?" Instead of responding with words, Sharon took his hand and pulled him to her, capturing his lips in a consuming kiss, letting him know just how much she loved him. Once they return home, she would show him what her idea of de-stressing looked like, and she had no doubt in her heart that they would enjoy every moment of it.

THE END

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 **As always, I'd love to know what you thought about the fic, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.**


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